Chapter 10 Half a Shoe Print
The cold wind shuttles between the ancient streets and buildings of Tianjin City, bringing with it the unique coldness of the North.
Xu Qingyun pushed open the wooden door of the newspaper office, and the smell of ink and paper hit him. Several tables were scattered around, and daily plans were written densely on the noteboard next to the telephone.
"Hello, what do you want to put in the newspaper?"
Seeing Xu Qingyun, a short and thin man came up and asked, "The first floor of the newspaper office is their business department. People who come here either publish various advertisements and missing person notices, or they go to the wrong place to submit articles."
"You smoke a cigarette first."
Xu Qingyun skillfully took out an exquisite cigarette case from his pocket. The person who came took the cigarette, revealing his yellow teeth that were corroded by time and tobacco: "Thank you."
Helping him light a cigarette, Xu Qingyun got straight to the point and asked: "Hello, I would like to ask the person who posted this missing person notice. He looks very much like a distant relative of mine."
Cigarettes are a magical thing that seem to have magical powers that can quickly make people who are unfamiliar with each other feel close to each other.
After looking at the newspaper that Xu Qingyun took out, the person from the newspaper office nodded: "I remember this. Someone came over yesterday to rush publication, and I received it."
"Do you remember what he looks like?"
After blowing out a smoke ring, the visitor seemed to be reminiscing and said slowly: "He is not tall, wears glasses and a gray robe. He is polite and polite, like a teacher."
"Let's take a step to talk."
Xu Qingyun caught a glimpse of several women in the room. They were casting displeased glances. They gently pulled the sleeves of the newspaper staff and quietly walked out the door.
Stepping out of the room, Xu Qingyun handed the cigarette case to the man.
"I haven't seen this distant relative for many years. Can you tell me about his current situation?"
"Thanks. Didn't he leave his address? Didn't you go find him?"
Putting the cigarettes in their pockets, the people at the newspaper office were secretly happy. This kind of good cigarettes are not cheap. Today, they earned a pack for free.
"I went there, but I couldn't find anyone. Did you leave any other addresses at that time?"
There was indeed an address on the missing person notice, but it was a fake address. Xu Qingyun asked Zuo Jinfang to check, but there was no such place.
The newspaper man was startled for a moment, then shook his head: "No, he only left the address in the newspaper."
"Did he bring anything with him when he came?"
Xu Qingyun inquired further and found out that he was not a policeman in his previous life, but he had worked with the police on many cases and understood that every tiny detail was crucial and could often be the key to solving a case.
"He brought a copy of Yishi Bao and said that the advertising fees there were too expensive, so he distributed it here."
Xu Qingyun's guidance made the newspaper staff immediately think of a detail. The circulation of "Yi Shi Bao" was larger than that of "Tian Feng Bao", and it was basically impossible to find out.
"What else did he do?" Xu Qingyun did not give up and continued to ask.
"He is a very addicted smoker, even more so than me. He ran out several times and hid in the corner to enjoy himself."
The man yesterday was not as generous as the young man today. He smoked alone and didn't let him at all.
Xu Qingyun immediately followed the newspaper man's fingers and looked at the corner next to him.
"Thank you very much. If he comes again, please give me a call. Please don't tell him. I want to give him a surprise."
Xu Qingyun asked a few more questions about his appearance, then politely sent him back to the house and wrote down a phone number. As soon as he went out, Xu Qingyun came to the place he pointed at just now.
When we were arresting Hu Qi's men the night before yesterday, it snowed heavily. There was sunshine during the past two days, but because of the low temperature, the snow did not melt much.
As soon as Xu Qingyun arrived at the scene, an unconcealable surprise flashed across his eyes. He looked around, and his eyes finally settled on a few footprints on the ground, which were in sharp contrast to the messy cigarette butts.
Squatting down, Xu Qingyun carefully observed these footprints. The outlines were slightly blurred and the color was slightly darker than the surrounding ground. The shape, size and depth were consistent, and they were obviously left by the same person.
Unfortunately, due to the melting of the snow, it has not been able to maintain its complete shape, but there is a half-trodden area that is particularly eye-catching. This is what was left after the snow melted and was trampled on.
Even the incomplete half of the footprint is like a treasure to Xu Qingyun, containing precious clues.
The footprint is on the back half of the leather shoe, which is the right heel. The footprint is about eight centimeters wide. By comparison, the length of the shoe is about 25 centimeters.
The print is one centimeter deep, the bevel is slightly tilted to the right, and the heel and sole are spiral patterns.
After observing the shoe prints, Xu Qingyun judged that this pair of shoes had very little wear and had not been worn on the feet for long, at most two months. It was considered a new pair of shoes.
He called Zheng Jiming and asked him to find a camera to take pictures of all the shoe prints. The cigarette butts on the ground were also picked up.
There is no DNA test now, but at least this is a clue, and Xu Qingyun will not ignore any clue.
The camera was quickly brought, the photos were taken, and Xu Qingyun returned to the police station.
"Brother Qingyun."
"Team leader."
As soon as they entered the office, Yi Sheng, Zuo Jinfang and others stood up to greet them, along with four others, including the flower girl they saw in the afternoon. The little girl was currently huddled in her mother's arms, her eyes twinkling with uneasiness
Zuo Jinfang contacted Xu Qingshi, and Wang Jiansheng had received the news and was coming with the painter.
After understanding the situation, Xu Qingyun asked proactively: "Didn't you scare them? Have you made it clear to them?"
Yi Sheng nodded immediately: "I made it clear, but they are still afraid."
In troubled times, there is nothing that ordinary people are not afraid of.
"It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. Someone will ask you later. Just answer truthfully and thoroughly. I guarantee your safety. If you are worried about me, you should always trust our director."
Xu Qingyun comforted him by saying that Wang Jiansheng had a good reputation and carrying him out really made the family feel a little more at ease.
In their hearts, the police chief is a great official, and he can tell the truth. If the chief really says that they are fine, they really don't need to worry.
Xu Qingyun did not ask again. Since the director came in person, it would not be too late to ask again later. Sitting at his desk, Xu Qingyun closed his eyes and thought.
Xu recalled the shoe prints he had just seen in his mind, and continued to piece together the messy pictures. Every detail and every possible connection was gradually taking shape in his thinking
According to the shoe prints, it is estimated that the height of its owner is in Between 1.63 and 1.68 meters, it is a pity that the front part of the shoe print is missing. Otherwise, with Xu Qingyun's professional ability, he could estimate the height more accurately.
This person weighs about 130 pounds, which is considered slightly fat for his height.
His image gradually sketched out in Xu Qingyun's mind: a man wearing glasses, with short hair that looked energetic, wearing a gray robe and a blue felt hat, with a clean face without any obvious marks.
There are too few clues. If the same shoe prints can be seen again, Xu Qingyun can get more information, but too much time has passed, and blindly searching for footprints is a waste of time.
The key is the shoes.
(End of chapter)